Exclusive“Sing You Sinners” (1938): Three Brothers, One Family, and a Whole Lot of Music

I'm no millionaire, but I'm not the type to care Cause I've got a pocket full of dreams, wonderful dreams It's my universe, even with an empty purse Cause I've got a pocket full of dreams I wouldn't trade the wealth of Wall Street for a road where nature trod And I calculate I'm worth my weight in golden rods Lucky, lucky me, I can live in luxury Cause I've got a pocket full of dreams I wouldn't take the wealth of Wall Street for a road where nature trod And I calculate that I'm worth my weight in golden rods Lucky, lucky me, I can live in luxury Cause I've got a pocket full of, I've got a pocket full of beautiful dreams $150! I can't believe it! You were rinny every race. How do you do it? Simple. I use the Australian system. What's that? Well, you bet on the horses with the most I's and A's in their name. And that works? Like a charm. Where'd you pick that up? From this guy at the racetrack. What a character. He kept trying to trade tickets with me. You sure do meet some strange ones at Del Mar, don't you? Sure do. He was trying to win enough money to quit his singing job. Singing job? Yeah, it seems he and his brothers can never make money at anything other than singing. So whenever things get tight, their mother tells them, sing, you sinners! I'm Tiffany Brannan. I'm Rebecca Brannan. Welcome to Real Thoughts on Cinema. During his heyday, Bing Crosby was just as famous for his love of horse racing as for his singing. However, this favorite hobby wasn't often reflected in his movies. A little-known film from his early career highlights his musical talent as well as his love of the horses. That film is Sing You Sinners from 1938. This movie focuses on the Beebe family, featuring a widowed mother and three brothers. There's the reliable David, the oldest brother, the somewhat shiftless Joe, the middle brother, who wants to swap and gamble rather than get an honest job, and littlest brother Mike, who's scarcely more than a child, but who has a lot of personality. Dave is engaged to a lovely young lady named Martha, but he's reluctant to set the date until he's confident that Joe will step up and support the family once he has a wife. Things come to a head when Joe casually tries to swipe Dave's girl one day. Realizing he's been a heel, Joe finally decides he needs to set out on his own and head to California to make his way in the world. After one lucky day at the racetrack, he is able to buy a swap shop, which seems like the perfect business for him, so he sends for Mom and Mike. However, by the time they get there, Joe has swapped himself right out of the swap shop and now has a racing horse, Uncle Gus. His mother is horrified to realize that he expects them to live on the promise that Uncle Gus might win a race, but she doesn't want to upset Dave's plan yet again, so Mike begins training to be a jockey, and they're all hoping that they'll be able to win the big race coming up. Of course, Dave and Martha soon show up, and the three brothers go to work as a singing trio yet again to provide enough money for the family as they're waiting for the big race to arrive. This film was made by Paramount Pictures. It was produced and directed by Wesley Ruggles and stars Bing Crosby, Frederick Murray, and Donald O'Connor. The interesting thing about this movie is that, although it has that lighthearted feel of a romantic comedy, the romance is really quite secondary. It's about these three brothers who were all played by actors who would be huge stars in their own rights. Both Bing Crosby and Frederick Murray were pretty big stars at this point. Donald O'Connor was just getting his start as a child actor. He was 13 at this time. He looks younger. He definitely is noticeably younger than the other two fellas. He would be convincing as their son just as much as their little brother, but it really works how they play these three brothers. It's amazing. The first time I watched this movie, I had already seen the later film Anything Goes, which also stars Bing Crosby and Donald O'Connor. It's funny in that they have this joke where he's like, oh, young fella, and he's calling him Pops, and you're like, there isn't really that big of an age difference. Then you see them here, and you're like, wow, there really is that big of an age difference because Donald O'Connor is this little boy. His voice hasn't changed yet. Bing Crosby was 35 at this point. Not even that young of a lead actor. It really is amazing seeing these three actors, like you said, stars in their own rights, but they're at this interesting kind of crossroads where they meet in this film. Bing Crosby was without a doubt the biggest star in this film. This really is a Bing Crosby picture because it's a musical, and it's about horse racing. You can tell he probably had a lot to do with the production behind the scenes as well. He had been an established crooner, radio star, recording artist. He was a big deal at this point. Although he plays the middle brother, he was the oldest of the three. He, interestingly, doesn't really have a love interest in the film. Besides one brief flirtation with his brother's girl, it really is about his quest to find himself as he's swapping, crooning, and gambling. We see his great talent as a singer, but also as a comedian. I think you see that early Bing Crosby style of the 30s in this film. Yes, both the character he's playing and the musical style, of course, the very distinct musical style of the 30s, but also that this sounds more like, if you hear his very early music, it's more that style, even though this was kind of the beginning of his new period. Then, of course, we have Frederick Murray. I'd say that he is perhaps best known for movies like Double Indemnity in the 40s, his Disney films in the 60s, and at the same time being the star of the very successful TV show My Three Sons. This is a long time earlier, and Frederick Murray was very serious in his films of this time period, in the late 30s, early 40s, just really almost somber. He's a perfect contrast to the almost goofy Bing Crosby. Bing Crosby could be very serious too, but in this movie, he's kind of goofy, because that's his character. He's this middle brother who's just trying to get attention in all the wrong ways. In contrast, Frederick Murray is perfect as this serious older brother. Joe says to him, you're America's big brother. He is almost the father of the family, because we don't know how long their father has been dead. Dave is the real man of the house. He is the only one of the brothers who has a real romantic interest, but he's very serious about that too. He wants to be a good provider, and he's just very responsible. Then, of course, we have the great little Donald O'Connor, who just would be very successful. He'd already been a vaudevillian, so he had great musical talents. He was very funny as a comedian, and probably best known for movies like Singing in the Rain in 1952. In which, of course, he's not the leading man. He's sort of sidekick to Gene Kelly. He often did play the sidekick. But he also was in some starring vehicles of his own as well. What's interesting about this part is it was actually written originally for Mickey Rooney. Right. He was a huge child star at the time. A little older. Not quite a child star. He was like 18 or 19 by this time. But still playing. He would have been about 17 by the time this movie was made. Right, so the character definitely would have been a bit older, but they never actually say how old this character is. It would have been different, but there are touches to the character. You can see how it could be a Mickey Rooney part. He was signed to another film by the time they made it, and Donald O'Connor really steps into those very big shoes, metaphorically speaking, very well, and really makes it his own. Yes, he does. And then Elizabeth Patterson is so charming as the mother. She played a variety of roles, from smaller parts to more prominent roles, often a mother-grandmother-aunt type of part. She played Frederick Murray's aunt in Remember the Night two years later. And here she's perfect as the loving mother who isn't afraid to tell her sons what they need to hear. But she also even sings a little. She's a fun-loving character too. And it's just remarkable to see movies of this time and realize that the elders in these movies, like Elizabeth Patterson, who was born in 1874, just think so much history she had seen. And she wasn't that old at this point. She was in her 60s, but the maturity and experience and the way there's this connection to the past. We can't see movies from 1874, but we can see movies with people who were born in 1874. It's a really interesting point. And when you watch a lot of classic films like we do, you can get, I want to say, almost desensitized in a way to just how long ago these were made. And then when you stop and think about it, it's kind of mind-boggling. Yeah, movies from the 30s are now almost 90 years old, if not over that. Crazy. We've now reached the 100th anniversary of the synchronized soundtrack. So the 30s themselves are a very important character in this movie. Some movies just happen to be made whenever they were made, but this movie is really a product of that time. You see it in the music, you see it in the style, and speaking about the music, of course, Bing Crosby, like we said, it's a Bing Crosby picture. He was a musical star, but we often forget what great musical talents Fred McMurray and Donald O'Connor had as well. It's really true. Fred McMurray, although he sang in The Happiest Millionaire, the later Disney film, I don't think he's really thought of as being that much of a musical performer. And you see him in this, he sings and he plays the clarinet. He actually started out as a band singer, is that right? He did, yes. Or he was an actor. Similar to Bing Crosby, except Bing Crosby became a really famous recording artist, whereas Fred McMurray didn't, but he was a really good singer and he played the saxophone, which you see on My Three Sons, so he also doubled on the clarinet, which he plays in this movie. And then, of course, Donald O'Connor, we know him in musicals later, and in this he's playing the accordion, he's singing, he's dancing. We only get to see a little bit of what would later be that amazing dancing talent that he had. But just enough, you just really see he's just bursting with talent, like all three of them are. It's just quite stunning to watch the three of them together. In some of the reviews of this movie when it first came out, like by noteworthy critic Bosley Crowther, he said that one thing he liked about the movie was that there weren't too many songs in it. And it's true, there really aren't that many, comparatively. One of my favourite things to talk about in classic Hollywood is the in-context musical. Because that's just something you don't really see in movies anymore. And I think you saw it even more in the 30s, I want to say. Even moving into the 40s and 50s, it started to go... Well, I think with the rise in a different style of Broadway musicals and Rodgers and Hammerstein and so forth, we really started to see that suddenly people are bursting into song and dancing, that kind of musical, and that's what a lot of people think of all musicals are like that. But when you go further back in Hollywood history, there are so many movies like this. The characters are musical performers. So they're singing. So they're singing, and it's very much a part of the story. And the fascinating thing about this one is you can tell that they're doing it live on the set from the sound quality. Yes, which further shows just how talented they are. And it's really funny that it highlights how performers don't always enjoy performing. Because these three brothers have been given musical training by their mother, but Joe keeps getting them jobs because it's one thing he can do. It's easier than getting a job like a garage mechanic like his brother. But all three of them are complaining about it. It's like, oh, I don't want to do that. I'm a man, doggone it. And it's like, I've worked up a tough reputation. They don't want to do it. I know, it's hilarious. It's like you have to be musicians to earn money. You can't work a real job like you want to. It's just so unusual for that. Because that's why someone was like, oh, you're supposed to settle down and get a regular job, and then you want to be doing this artistic thing. But that's their steady job. And they're like, I don't want to do that. Yeah, it's not unrealistic. It's just not something that you see portrayed in media that often. Are all the songs featured in this movie, besides the hymn at the river, were they written for this movie? Yes, so they're written by James V. Monaco and Johnny Burke. And then the one kind of specialty number, Small Fry, which is a very funny standout number in the film, was written by Hoagy Carmichael, himself a famous singer and pianist. And the words were by Frank Lesser, who was known for writing musicals later on in his career, very famously. I think the song that really could be considered the theme song would be Pocketful of Dreams. Absolutely. Which is what we see the trio perform when they first have this job at a dance. And then it's the closing number of the film as well. Yes, and then it's background music a lot. Interestingly, there is a song that's the same title as the movie, Sing You Sinners, and that's the music during the opening credits. Okay, interesting. But they didn't feature it in the actual movie. And I know there was at least one other song that hit the cutting room floor. They considered several different titles, like The Unholy Beebees, or something about brothers, there were a few things. I think they should have called it Pocketful of Dreams, honestly. Or something about racing, maybe. Yes, now speaking about racing, the little-known trivia behind this movie is its connection to Del Mar. Bing Crosby was often teased around Hollywood by Bob Hope, Jack Benny, about his love of horse racing. But he didn't just like betting on the horses, he owned a lot of horses. And he helped develop two of the biggest racetracks in California. He was on the board of trustees for Santa Anita in the earlier 30s, which had opened just a couple of years before this, and that's actually where they filmed most of the races. It was at Santa Anita and at the Pomona Fairgrounds too. So it's realistic because he goes to Los Angeles, and that's probably where it would be, Santa Anita. They just say the racetrack, but presumably. So he helped develop that. But then, at this point, he had a house, sort of a getaway place in Rancho Santa Fe. And in the mid-30s, he and some of his other Hollywood pals, including Pat O'Brien, Jimmy Durante, established a new board to build a new racetrack in Del Mar, at the historic Del Mar Fairgrounds. And because of this board and the organization that was spearheaded by Bing Crosby, the Del Mar racetrack opened in 1937. OK, so before this film was released. Before this film was released, that's right. They probably made movies so fast back then. Yeah, and I think it was the opening of this new racetrack, which he had practically built, that inspired Bing Crosby to make this movie. Yeah, that makes sense. From the research I've done, I couldn't find anything definite, like he co-produced it or he wrote it. But it's pretty obvious that it was at least written with him in mind. Yes, definitely. To highlight his sort of hapless racing career, because people joke that he always seemed to pick losers and own losers. He had a stable called the Binglin Stables, which was owned by him and Lynn Howard, who was the son of Charles Howard, who owned the most popular and beloved racehorse of the day, Seabiscuit. Wow. So he was very successful. Obviously, he owned many horses. And so his son had a similar interest in horse racing, and sort of a friendly competition with his father. He wanted to have his own stable, so he and Bing Crosby started the stable Binglin. And the horse they owned that would challenge Seabiscuit was Ligurati. So there was a very noteworthy race that happened in 1937, and Ligurati came in fourth, while Seabiscuit won. But they wanted a rematch. There was a dinner one evening where Bing was present, and both father and son, and Lynn's like, I want another chance for our horse to win. We have a good horse, so let's set up another race. So as Bing Crosby was setting up Del Mar, he really wanted it to be a destination for his Hollywood friends. And he was quite an investor. And yes, he made a lot of money as a movie star, but still, he did invest a lot of money too. So he wanted his business ventures to be very successful. So he tried a lot of different gimmicks to get people to make the long trip to Del Mar. A lot of people during Prohibition went to Mexico for horse racing, because drinking seemed to go hand in hand with horse racing, and gambling and betting had complicated laws in the United States. But with the repeal of that in the early to mid-30s, then horse racing began to return to California, with Santa Anita and then Del Mar. So he was like, don't go all the way to Mexico, stop in Del Mar. The train would stop there. And he started something called Hollywood Days in 1938. The first Hollywood Day was August 5th, 1938. And on that day, there was a Hollywood Express that would bring in all the different celebrities and the press, and you'd have all these press releases. And on opening day in 1937, Bing himself was there taking tickets at the gate. And to go along with Hollywood Days, he co-wrote the song, Where the Surf Meets the Turf. And they still play that song at the Del Mar racetrack before the first and last race of every racing day. That's so sweet, I love that. It's like a minute long song, and it's just really cute words about where the surf meets the turf down at old Del Mar. Because it's such a beautiful racetrack, that it's not in the middle of the inland empire like Santa Anita. You can see the ocean. If you're just on the freeway, you drive past Del Mar, you can see the racetrack. You can see the racetrack right there, and then there's the ocean. And then of course, the fair. That's right, the county fair. You get to see it. Yes, it's used for part of that. So for the first Hollywood Days, I haven't actually read this fact, but it's very obvious when you do research on both sides, that Sing You Sinners was debuted, it's world premiere, at the first Hollywood Days. Because that was when it was premiered, on August 5th at Del Mar. So that was sort of the big... The inaugural event. Now the thing about Hollywood Days was that it was a race in which only horses owned by Hollywood people would run. And not just actors, some of them were directors, producers, behind the scenes people. So you can just imagine what kind of an event that would be. Come and see this brand new Bing Crosby picture. That's wild. And guess who was the horse who played Uncle Gus? Ligurati. His horse, yes. I couldn't remember the name. Ligurati played himself. And apparently, about six or seven other horses owned by Bing Crosby are in the race as well. It's an all-Crosby race. He's trying to beat himself. He started his stable, I think, in 1936 or 1937. And within a year, his stable had grown to 21 horses. So he owned a lot of horses. Apparently all losers. And in that review, Bosley Crother said, the thing that's unrealistic about this film is that in this picture, Crosby owns a horse who's a winner. So obviously he had help riding the Kling Klan. And Uncle Gus definitely is a successful race horse. Well, that was his problem. He didn't own Uncle Gus. Yes. Although he did, because that was his horse. And just about a week later, on August 12, 1938, was when there was this rematch between Seabiscuit and Ligurati. And it was at Del Mar. To try to draw people, right? To draw people. And sort of a follow-up. And that was, I think, that was the day that Sing You Sinners debuted in New York. Oh, okay. Spoiler alert. Ligurati didn't win. Seabiscuit won again. It was a good horse, but they were close. They both beat the average by a minute. They both beat the record, 49. So they were both really good horses. Seabiscuit was the champion. And wasn't there something about the jockeys? Yeah, the jockeys, kind of infamously now, were riding so close to each other, they were hitting each other with their riding crocs on purpose as they were racing. What? I guess Seabiscuit's jockey hit harder. That sounds like something from a movie. Yeah. There's always some foul play. It gets very messy with jockeys in movies. So, although this movie is sort of obscure in the whole Bing Crosby filmography, it deserves quite a bit of fame for its connection to racing history and its connection to Del Mar. Yeah, it's quite historical, absolutely. It's very unique. And it really seems like a product of that 30s era, even down to the minute details of that they did all the music live on set. They had these real horses, Bing's kind of playing himself. And the bandleader is his... His old... The bandleader of when he was the drummer in the little band of the Rhythm Boys back in the early 30s, yes. So, he often was in his films. And then even the fashion. It's not like high Hollywood fashion. It's very much what ladies would have actually worn at the time. My outfit is inspired by the fashion of Martha. She wears several dresses in this simple 30s style. The mid-calf length skirt and the slightly poofy cap sleeves, the hat with the small brim, and white slingback shoes. My outfit is inspired by the costume which Martha, played by Ellen Drew, wears when she and Dave first arrive in Los Angeles. It's a light-colored patterned blouse with a simple black skirt, a little belt, and heavier black shoes. And this is a sort of hat that a woman would wear in the mid-1930s. This is a really great family film. Especially because the romance is somewhat secondary. It really is about these three brothers and their relationship with their mother and just how they realize they have to stick together if they're ever going to get anywhere. That's an interesting point that when you say family film, that term, it could just mean it's a movie that's good for the whole family to watch. But it can also mean, in this case, it's actually about a family. Yeah, and this brother act... Yeah, specifically about brotherhood. Yeah, it's a great movie about brotherhood and how they make each other upset. They get on each other's nerves, and they fight. They challenge each other. But ultimately, they have to overlook each other's shortcomings because they're a good team. One tagline that was used by little Donald O'Connor at one point was, this is the darndest family. So the tagline was, meet the Beebeys, the darndest family in the USA. There's so much, partly the American spirit of individualism, such an idea you need to, your family's your family, but say goodbye to them and go find your own life. But I think in the 30s, there still was more a sense that you could join the family business or start a business with your siblings. As you see in some of the movie studios, the Warner brothers, the Marx brothers, the Andrews sisters, siblings would sometimes stick together because who can be a closer business ally than your siblings? You work together. And this film shows how these three brothers, in spite of themselves, just have to stick together. And it has some unexpected twists and turns in its relatively short run time. Near the end, the tone takes a turn you might not be anticipating. Yeah, because it starts out as a very small town film, sort of an Andy Hardy type movie. And then it goes into, it's got some music on the side, a little bit of romance, but then the romance really takes a back seat as Martha leaves Los Angeles and she's not in it for the latter, at least quarter of the movie, if not third. Right, then it's all focused on horse racing. Then it totally becomes a horse racing movie. This big race. Yeah, that's interestingly, going back to that this role was originally intended for Mickey Rooney. He made a lot of musicals, but also was in several films about horse racing because he was a good type to be a jockey. But yeah, it's interesting. It really does kind of shift in a very different kind of film, but seamlessly. The two halves of the movie are quite different. Then the music comes back in as they get this job at a nightclub as they're preparing for the race. That's right. So just a very cleverly written film and it really helps you see what the 30s were like in real life as well as what 30s filmography was. If you are interested in either Bing Crosby, the history of Del Mar, or horse racing in America, particularly at Del Mar, I definitely recommend this film. That gives it an added layer of historical interest to know about that background. Besides the fact that it's just a great movie. Because it's somewhat obscure, it's not the most readily available film. It isn't available on any major streaming platform, although you can find it online for free if you look around a little bit. But it is available on DVD in either an individual DVD or Blu-ray release, which you can buy on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. And it's also available as part of a larger Bing Crosby collection. Which I would highly recommend because who doesn't want to see more Bing Crosby movies? Yes! While Donald O'Connor went on to become a famous adult actor, many child stars are never anything more than that. Join us next time as we discuss a charming romantic comedy co-starring a child actor who is not well remembered today and did not continue his career into adulthood, but who had a thriving career in his childhood. Thank you for watching! Goodbye!